Fire extinguisher discharge device



Oct. 13, 1953 ENSMWGER 2,655,219

FIRE EXTINGUISHER DISCHARGE DEVICE Filed May 12, 1951 I N V EN TOR.

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A T TOIPNEY Patented Oct. 13,1953

FIRE EXTINGUISHER DISCHARGE DEVICE Harry Ensminger, Milburn, N. J., assignor to C- O-Two Fire Equipment Company, Newark, N. J a corporation of Delaware Application May 12, 1951, Serial No. 226,047

2 Claims. (Cl. 169--11) The present invention relates to fire extinguishing apparatus and particularly to an improved carbon dioxide fire extinguishing agent discharge nozzle.

It has been known that the effectiveness of carbon dioxide as a fire extinguishing agent for open fires is increased by utilizing means to prevent the entrainment of air until the velocity of the issuing stream has been slowed down to the extent that the entrainment of the air is negligible. It is also known that the effectiveness of carbon dioxide as an extinguishing agent i increased by converting a large part of the discharged fiuid into carbon dioxide snow which has improved carrying quality as well as increased efiectiveness as an extinguishing agent.

Prior devices have been heretofore provided which accomplish the dual purpose of preventing the entrainment of air and of providing an increased yield of carbon dioxide snow. One of these devices is shown and described in U. S. Patent No. 1,993,696, issued on March 5, 1935, to S. E. Allen et al. The Allen device has been termed a battle type discharge nozzle. In the Allen device a baffle is placed over the discharge orifice to direct the issuing stream of carbon dioxide against the side of a directing tube so that by turbulence a large amount of snow is formed and simultaneously the velocity of the issuing stream is diminished so that the entrainment of air is negligible.

The baffle type discharge nozzle is an improvement over that shown in Minor Patent No. 1,7 60,- 274 in which a discharge orifice is shielded by an axially positioned directing tube. In the Minor construction a comparatively long horn is required as provision must be made to reduce the velocity of the stream so that the entrainment of air is small. In the Minor construction it has been found that there is a definite relationship between the diameter of the directing tube and its length for efficient operation. In the Allen construction, for the same rate of discharge, the length of the horn may be considerably less.

The present invention aims to provide an improved discharge nozzle which is particularly suited to the discharge of large quantities of low temperature carbon dioxide.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved discharge nozzle for carbon dioxide fire extinguishing agent which is simple in construction, light in weight and rugged in use.

A construction in accordance with the invention is advantageous not only because of its light weight but because means are provided to utilize the entire space within the directing tube and to produce an evenly distributed discharge.

The foregoing objects are accomplished in accordance with the invention by providing a discharge nozzle in which orifice means are provided to laterally discharge the issuing stream against a cup-shaped baffle member to take advantage of the entire space in the directing tube to increase the snow yield and to give a forward direction to the discharge, and thus to take advantage of the teaching of the Allen patent. In addition, an improved structure i provided utilizing a stiffening means for a lightweight directing tube.

other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the foregoing description and from the accompanying drawing which shows, by way of example, an embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 illustrates a bank of carbon dioxide storage cylinders connected through a hose reel with a discharge nozzle in accordance with the invention. In the illustration an operator is shown using the discharge nozzle to extinguish a floor or ground open fire.

Fig. 2 is a top view of the discharge nozzle shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a partial vertical sectional and partial elevational view of the discharge nozzle.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view at an enlarged scale taken through the nozzle body.

Fig. 5 is an end view of the discharge nozzle.

Referring to the drawing, there is shown a bank of carbon dioxide fire extinguishing agent storage cylinders I each having a discharge head 2 connected by pipes 3 to a manifold 4 and through a pipe 5 to a hose reel 6 having reeled thereon a flexible discharge hose 7 fitted at its outer end with a discharge nozzle 8 in accordance with the invention.

As may be seen in Fig. 4 the discharge nozzle 8 includes an elongated nozzle body iii having a passage 11' therethrough. The inlet end I2 of the fluid passage II has an interior threaded surface to engage with the exterior threaded surface of a fitting I4 attached to the end of the flexible hose 1. The outer end of the passage I l is closed by a pointed end 15 having at the wide end thereof a plurality of radially positioned outwardly directed orifices IS, the total area of the orifices being proportioned with respect to the internal diameter of the fluid passage II to provide for proper discharge as is well known in the art.

exterior surface of the nozzle body II and is.

adapted to be turned against a ring washer 23 to hold the directing tube 19 againstitheshoulder 2 l. The directing tube I8 is made with a slightly flared shape thus providing an 'inside'wail' tapering to a smaller diameter towards its closedend. By reason of the construction later to be described the wall of the directing tube may becomparatively light in weight.

Inside the directing tube I8 is positioned a cup-shaped deflecting and/or stiffening member 25 preferablyma'de of metal or of any suitable material toshield the-high velocity stream of extinguishing fluid issuing from the orifices 16. The deflecting and/or sti'fiening'member 25 provides the dual-efiect-of deflecting the issuing stream of gas to provide turbulence to decrease the velocity thereof and in addition provides for the stiffening of thedirecting tube [8.

The'cup-shaped member 25 is apertured in its center, portion so as to be received over the surface of the nozzle body). As will be seen from the drawing, the cup-shaped member 25 has its outer edge of a diameter so-as to fit Within the tapered surface of the directing tube H3. The

cup-shaped member 25 and the closed end IQ of the"directing-' tube I8 are so shaped and proportioned that when in position a small space 26 is present which provides an insulating efiect'to prevent heat from being absorbed by the cupshaped member 25 and thence transmitted to the issuing stream of fluid. In addition the space 28 providesfor the movement of the cup-shaped member25 into the directing tube I8 for the stiffening of the directing tube in a manner which facilitates rapid and inexpensive construction and assembly.

By reason of the=contact of outer edge 2'6'of the cup-shaped member with the inner surface of the directing tube is a stiffening effect is'producedpermitting the use of a comparatively lights weight directing tube is and eliminating theme of cumbersome attachment means forsecuring the directing tube to the nozzle body. Furthermorey a construction is provided permitting of a lightweight nozzle body' ii) as a simplified ring nut-or equivalent attachment means maybe used.

For ease in manipulating the discharge nozzle 8 it is fitted with a transversely extending carrying handle 2'1. A shut-off squeeze grip type valve 28 is conveniently positioned in the flexible hose l-so that the valve 2i? may be operated by-one hand of the operator while the carrying handle 21 issupported by the otherhand of theoperator.

F'rom 'the preceding description it will be seen 4 that the present invention provides a discharge nozzle for carbon dioxide fire extinguishing apparatus of large capacity in which the discharge nozzle is simple and inexpensive in construction and rugged in use.

While the invention ha been described and illustrated with reference .to .aespecific embodiment thereof,zit"will bounderstoodithat other embodiments may be resorted to without depart- ..ing from the invention. For example, while the deflecting and/or stiffening member 25 has been described asibeingzcup-shaped, it is obvious that equivalent shapes may be used, and instead of being .made solid,fa-.spider construction might be sutilized. 1. Furthermore, while the directing tube and deflecting member have been described and illustrated as-secu-red in position by ring nuts,

othenconventional forms of construction might be used, such as welding-cementing, press fit construction .or other suitable means. Therefore, th'ejform of invention set out above should be considered as illustrative and not. as limiting the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

lph dischargemozzle for carbon dioxide fire extinguishing fluid comprising a nozzle body having'a-fiui'd passage therein, the nozzle body havinga closed pointed end and a-plurality of radially positioned outwardlydirected orifices adjacent the base of thepointed end; meanstproviding-a-shoulderabout the nozzle'body, a directing tube with aclosed apertured end about the nozzle body and positioned against the shoulder, a first ring nut threadedly-engagedwith the exterior of the nozzlebodyto hold the directing tube inposition against the shoulder, a cupsha-pcd defiectingmember overlying the orifices andhaving its outer'edge-abutting against the inside surface of the directing tube, and a second' rin nut threadedly engaged with the exterior of the-valve body to urge the cup-shaped deflecting -member" against the inside of the directing tube in a stiffening relationship.

2. A fire-extinguishing agent discharge nozzle comprising anozzlebody; a-closed end directing tube; the closed end of thetube apertured to receive thenozzlebody andsecured thereto, a cupshapedstiffening member having an apertured center portionto receive the valve body, the edge of the pup-shaped member abutting against the inside surface of the directing tube,- andmeans to draw the cupshaped member into. tight rela tionship with thedirecting tube for the stiifening thereof.

HARRY" ENSMIN GER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS Number Name Date ;l-,-993.,696 Allen Mar. 5, 1935 2,117,682 Schaaf May 17,.1938 2,145,865 Diehl Feb. 7.19.39 2,216,071 Ensminger -,Sept. .24, 1940 

